Summary:
Middle Schools in zip code 48875 are served by a single institution, Portland Middle School, which enrolls 418 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Portland Public Schools district, a small, primarily rural area where the school’s performance essentially mirrors the district’s since it is the only middle school.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Portland Middle School is a solid, mid-tier school ranking 468th out of 896 Michigan middle schools (48th percentile). Its biggest strength is attendance: only 16.1% of students are chronically absent, far better than the state average of 27.9%, meaning kids are consistently in class. However, strong attendance does not translate into top test scores. On the 2025-2026 M-Step, 6th-grade ELA proficiency was 31.9% (below the state’s 37.5%), and 7th-grade ELA dropped sharply to 23.2% versus the state’s 38.4%—a 15-point gap. Math is closer to average in 6th grade (30.4% vs. 31.9%) but lags on the 8th-grade PSAT, where only 21.7% of students are proficient compared to 33.2% statewide. Science and social studies are slightly below average, while 8th-grade PSAT ELA (63.2%) nearly matches the state (64.8%).
One notable pattern is significant year-over-year volatility, especially in ELA, where 7th-grade proficiency fell from 38.5% to 23.2% between school years, suggesting possible curriculum shifts or cohort differences. There is also a concerning “middle school slide” in reading: students lose ground from 6th to 7th grade. With a student-teacher ratio of 18.4 and per-student spending of $13,007, resources are moderate. Overall, this is a dependable school with good attendance but clear opportunities for improvement in math and upper-grade literacy, making it a reasonable choice for families prioritizing consistency over top-tier academics.
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